Nooh Mohamed Duneim Irshad, a fresh face in this year's Surf League's Junior Category, secured a direct path to the third round by defeating the reigning junior champion, Yusuf Kayan Hamdan Zaki, in the Rannamari Challenge's first-round heats.
In the opening round of the junior category, Nooh claimed victory in the second heat, accumulating a total score of 9.50. His third wave earned him 5.17 points, while the fourth wave yielded 4.33 points. In contrast, Kayan Zaki, last year's junior ranking leader, scored a total of 5.50 points.
This marks Nooh's debut year in the Surf League, where he currently holds the ninth position in the rankings. He initially participated in the Gamadhoo competition in K. Himmafushi in June, followed by the Randha Wave Event in K. Thulusdhoo in July. While Nooh reached the quarter-finals in the junior division of both tournaments, he failed to secure a first-place finish in any heat.
Nooh also competed in the Sea Sports National Junior Surfing Championship earlier this month. During the June Championships, he reached the semi-finals in two age groups—Under-14 and U-16—and secured third place in both categories.
This year the organizers have decided to include a category to select the Junior Champion for the first time.
Kayan Abdulla Areef, the current top-ranking surfer, advanced to the third round with a total score of 11.07 points in the first heat. He scored 5.67 points in his second wave and 5.40 points in the following wave. In the same heat, Mohamed Inan Abdul Hannan secured second place with a total score of 10.86, with his first wave scoring 7.33 points and the fifth wave earning 3.53 points. Mohamed Zayan (Choppu) got third place with a total score of 7.67 points.
Yasin Ahmed Nashid, currently second in the rankings, won in the final heat of the first round with a total score of 8.83, trailing Kayan Areef by 10 points. Yasin's best two waves earned him 5.50 points and 3.33 points, respectively. Syed Salahuddin secured second place in the heat with a score of 7.37. Ahmed Aal Adil finished third with 3.23 points, while Ahmed Nahil scored 3.04 points.
The top performers from the first round heats secured direct berths to the third round, while the rest will compete in the second round. The second round will feature three heats, with the top two athletes from each heat advancing to the third round.
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